Divers Come to the Rescue in Thailand Ferry Sinking

Scuba divers grab fins and jump to rescue people floating in the water after the passenger ferry they were aboard sank off the coast of a popular resort town in eastern Thailand on Nov. 3.

BANGKOK—After a day of scuba diving in the cool waters off Pattaya, a popular resort town about 130 kilometers east of Bangkok, Panutcha Bunnag and some 30 others aboard a dive boat had little idea they would soon be rescuing passengers from a sinking ferry.

But when the boat’s captain received the distress call he changed course and the divers jumped to action, reaching the ill-fated ferry before anyone else.

“I decided to dial the emergency number to ask for help from the rescue team when I realized how many people were in trouble,” Ms. Panutcha told the Wall Street Journal by phone.

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More than 200 passengers, mostly tourists, were believed to have boarded the double-decker ferry when it departed Lan Island for Pattaya.

The island is located about 6.5 kilometers, or 45 minutes by boat from the mainland, but had only gone around 1.5 kilometers from Lan when it ran into trouble. By the time Ms. Panutcha’s boat reached the site, most of its hull was already under water.

“What we could see from the distance is like a big group of orange color objects bursting out of a sinking vessel, with only a small part of its front still visible,” said Ms. Panutcha, an avid diver who comes frequently to Pattaya for diving trips.

The orange objects she saw were passengers bobbing in life-vests.

Some of the strongest swimmers on board the dive boat jumped into the water to help pull people out, said Ms. Panutcha. Others stood ready to provide aid to the survivors, including emergency rescue breathing. By the time rescue crews had arrived, the divers had pulled 71 people from the water, four of them in serious condition, she said.

According to the latest police report, six passengers, including three Thais, one Chinese national, one Russian and one unidentified Westerner, have died. At least 25 others were injured and six were still receiving medical attention at hospitals in Pattaya a day after the accident, said Lieutenant General Aroon Promphan, chief of the Pattaya Tourist Police.

The cause of the accident remains unknown. An initial inspection of the submerged wreckage by a joint team of police and volunteer divers found the vessel was generally in good shape, said Lieutenant General Namasakarn Nilkamhaeng, an inspector from the Sriracha Marine Police.

He said some survivors claim the left bow of the ferry appeared to hit a rock before water started coming in and passengers rushed to the upper level of the vessel – causing it to lose balance and tip.

Mr. Namasakarn confirmed that a small hole was found on the boat’s bow, but the investigation into the actual cause of the accident is now underway. He said overcapacity suspected to be one of the main causes.

Lan Island is a popular spot among tourists for swimming and water activities.

The latest accident hit headlines on Monday, not long after the Thai government and Pattaya tourism officials launched a campaign to educate tour boat operators about safety measures.

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